


Igneous

by Batwynn



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Again, Almost death, Loki saves the day, M/M, Tony breaks things
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-07
Updated: 2014-05-07
Packaged: 2018-01-23 22:08:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,699
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1581176
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Batwynn/pseuds/Batwynn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>For songsofcatharsis who chose ‘blood’ and ‘breathe again’ for a drabble. </p><p>Tony is breaking things again, and Loki's already in the know.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Igneous

____________

It began with a silent shot to his sternum, and his world promptly ended.

________________

There was something about the way the blood rushed in his ears that reminded him of a National Geographic special he had watched once. Nature was not usually something that fascinated him, but something about volcanoes caught his attention. Maybe it was the raw power, the energy needed to generate so much heat, the gases powerful enough to move the earth. Explosive power. There really was something about it that appealed to Tony.

But the sound in his ears, it wasn’t a heart beat, but a rushing sound. A roiling sound, like the rumble of a volcano. Tony cracked a smile at the mental image forming in his mind of hot rock bubbling out his ears.

What was it Loki used to call him? He said Tony had the ‘outside of a fluffy bunny’ and the ‘inside of a towering inferno’. It never made much sense to him until now, and maybe that was a bad sign. Maybe it was a sign that he had lost too much blood, or that the hit to his head might have done more damage than a Loony Tunes-sized lump. Maybe it was a sign that he should do something about his condition, instead of laying there thinking about volcanos and rabbits.

But the rumble was slowing down and there was someone coming for him.

 _About time_ , he thought, without a single hint of bitterness.

 _Save me_ , he thought, without a drop of shame.

To his surprise, the face that lurched to a stop over him was not the one he expected. Steve, maybe, would come running for him first. Bruce, if he was in his scientist form and not the Jolly Green. Although, Hulk had saved his sorry hide a few times already.

But, it was none of these. It was Loki, his hair a complete mess, face equally as dirty and blood smeared as Tony assumed his own was. For all that, it was the expression that truly startled Tony into paying more attention to his rescuer.

Complete and utter fear. Not mildly distraught, like he had seen the god express a few times in battle. Usually for his big, blond brother. Not even that peeved look he often got when Tony took an unnecessary hit to help the others.   
It was just fear, and that really fucking terrified him.   
 _  
Loki…_

Tony frowned when he realized nothing came out of his mouth. He tried to form a sentence this time, pushing his tongue into submission. He finally got his mouth open and instead of words, blood poured out.

Both their eyes widened with shock, because Tony had seriously never seen that much red come out of his own body before. Maybe Loki hadn’t expected it either, because he went paler than usual and gripped his hand. The god was saying something, but that damn volcano was erupting. There was magic around them now, something Tony wished he could appreciate from the spectator’s side of things, rather than the patent. But really, he was starting to not care anymore.

What was really bothering him was Loki’s face, and the fact that he couldn’t remember the last time he breathed.

That face was usually smiling, which probably seemed like an odd thing to say.

_  
‘That Loki? The one who blew up New York?’_

'You mean the god of lies?'

'The man who murdered all those people?'  
  
Yeah, that Loki, the same one who actually made him coffee in the morning. Sometimes. Other times he was no where to be found, and Tony wouldn’t see him for a day or two. He was like the tower’s own stray cat.

But that was Loki to him, a smiling, warm, sometimes prickly, cat. He would express a surprisingly snuggly side, and then later ignore the shit out of Tony. Really, he would be lying if he said it didn’t bother him. It wasn’t that he was an overly cuddly person, but he was definitely possessive and maybe a little greedy for Loki’s touch.

Dammit, he liked snuggling. Fuck it, he would admit it while he was dying, at least.   
 _  
Loki, I like snuggling,_ he thought with all his effort, hoping that maybe the god had suddenly come into his telepathic powers. It didn’t seem to work. In fact, Loki looked worse than before.

Really, when was the last time he  _breathed_?

There were more flashes of magic above and around him, his body jerking with each new spell introduced through his system like an electroshock. It didn’t seem to be working, unless it was trying to stop the volcano.

The rumbling sound, Tony was just getting used to, had starting to fade. Now it sounded like a stampede, miles away. Or maybe thunder from across the sea, that echoed off the city’s buildings with a soft growl. Either way, it was fading, and fast.

  
Loki was crying. At least, Tony thought he was. He was having trouble with… everything, now. Hands cupped his face, and the last thing he felt was a blood-sticky kiss and a whisper against his lips. Then, it was just numbness as the silence rolled in.

It ended with a silence, and his world promptly changed.

___________________°

There was something about the way the light burned through the back of his eyelids, that reminded Tony of something he had forgotten.

 _  
Oh, that’s right, breathing.  
_  
It hit him like the force of a wave, air crashing into his lungs, burning his insides, and,  _god_ , did it hurt. It kept happening, release, pause, tsunami of pain. It was making him light headed and a little nauseous at this point, and he kind of wanted to stop. But his body was taking over now, telling him he needed this. And hey, who was he to argue with that?

"Anthony," was the first sound other than his own fish-out-of-water gasping he heard since he became aware of the world again.

The voice wasn’t as surprising as it should have been, but that was alright.

"Loki," he rasped in response, probably speaking sooner than he should, "no more… volcanoes for me."

There was a huff of laughter that sounded painful and slightly hysterical, before the voice spoke again, “I see, yes. You should avoid them.”

"I can’t if they’re _in_ me.”

"You are making little sense right now," Loki replied with a soothing tone Tony had never heard him use before, "you should rest."

Tony finally cracked his eyes open, startled by the hazy blur that shrouded his vision. “I think I’ve been sleeping enough.”

There was another choking sound, that could be describe as laughter, if it weren’t for those little drops of damp Tony felt prickle across his face and neck.

"Shhh, Loki," he whispered, a hand somehow finding its way to Loki’s wet cheek.

"You should not be comforting me, Anthony."

"I think I just died a little, I can do what I want, Space Man."

Loki leaned into his touch, and Tony felt the god’s lips curl into a smile against the palm of his hand.

"Then," Loki said softly, "comfort me, for I am in dire need of it."

"Are you?"

Loki breathed, “yes…”

Tony pulled him down, his eyes finding it easier to focus the closer the god became. “Tell me, what’s got you so upset?”

"You…"

"Did I break something again?"

"Yes,  _you._ ”

"Oops," Tony said with a smile, earning himself a small jab in his side. "Ow, healing mortal here. Be nice."

"I am nice, I healed you with a great strain my my magic. I fear I shall be rather useless for some time now."

"Join the club, we have lawn chairs and all the shrimp you can eat." Tony chuckled at Loki’s look of disgust and tried to scoot his aching body over to make room for him. "Come on, if we’re gonna be lazy, lets do it together."

"I said useless," Loki corrected, laying down all the same, " I am not lazy."

"No, I guess you’re not," Tony agreed, managing to roll over on his side without falling off the small bed. He shamelessly snuggled into Loki, happy to use the situation to his full advantage. Loki had an arm around him the moment he pressed close enough and Tony closed his eyes, breathing in the smell of Loki. It was silent for a long while before Tony remembered something and snapped his eyes open.

"Loki, I need to tell you something important."

Loki’s eyes got that hint of fear in them again, and Tony regretted his tone only long enough to actually speak up. “I  _like_ to snuggle, okay? I like snuggling and cuddling and being close to you and sleeping next to you and touching as much of your body as possible.”

Loki was staring at him for a long while before he said, “I know.”

"Oh… okay then. So, that’s that."

One black eyebrow arched in question.

"Uh, well there’s also the fact that I love you," Tony added in a rush, "which, you know, was something I might not have even been able to tell you since I sort of died. I figured I might as well say it now, just in case I suddenly kick the bucket. Or, well, because I got really fucking scared right there and the thought of you never knowing would kill me again and—"

"I  _know_.”

"You… You knew?"

"I did," Loki said, "I have known for a while now."

"Wha, why didn’t you say anything?!"

"It was yours to tell."

"What about you?"

"I thought my affections for you were fairly obvious."

Tony pouted. “You never said it.”

"I love you," he replied as if it were the easiest thing in the world.

Tony let out an aggravated sigh and pressed his face back into Loki’s chest. “You really are such a goddamn cat, sometimes.”

"And you," Loki purred in his ear, "are a fluffy bunny hiding a towering inferno."

Already starting to doze off in the god’s arms, Tony let out a soft laugh, and was secretly glad that the name no longer made any sense to him.


End file.
